Cardinals, Panthers, Heels, Huskies earn top seeds

Louisville players celebrate on the bench near the end of the game against Syracuse in the championship game of the Big East men's NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 14, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Louisville on 76-66.(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

/ AP

Louisville players celebrate on the bench near the end of the game against Syracuse in the championship game of the Big East men's NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 14, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Louisville on 76-66.(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Louisville players celebrate on the bench near the end of the game against Syracuse in the championship game of the Big East men's NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 14, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Louisville on 76-66.(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) (/ AP)

EDDIE PELLS, The Associated Press

The Big East put up a big number Sunday: Three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.

Louisville, Pittsburgh and Connecticut helped the Big East, a group originally created for basketball only, become the first conference to put three teams on the top line. North Carolina, the regular-season Atlantic Coast Conference champion, was the other top seed.

Louisville was the top overall seed in the tournament and will play in the Midwest. The Cardinals will open against the winner of an opening-round game Tuesday between Alabama State and Morehead State.

The rest of the tournament starts Thursday and Friday. The Final Four is scheduled for Ford Field in Detroit on April 4 and 6.

Pitt was the top seed in the East, Carolina in the South and UConn in the West, the region the Huskies were in when they won their championships in 1999 and 2004.

Of the four top seeds, coach Rick Pitino's Cardinals were the only team to win their conference tournament. Louisville entered the Big East conference tournament as the top seed, though Pitt and UConn were more highly regarded throughout the regular season, each spending time at No. 1 in The Associated Press poll.

But there was a lot of switching in the top spot this season – it changed hands seven times, to be exact – so it was no surprise there would be some debate about the No. 1 seeds.

For instance, Duke wound up a second seed despite winning the ACC tournament, beating the Florida State team the Tar Heels had lost to the day before; but North Carolina swept Duke in the regular season

Meanwhile, Memphis (31-3) got snubbed, taking the second seed in the West despite a 25-game winning streak. The Tigers are often downgraded for playing in the less-than-steller Conference USA, but John Calipari's team proved people wrong last year, making it to the national title game.

"If we're a 1, we're a 1; if we're a 2, we're a 2. We just want to play," Calipari said before the bracket came out.

Last year's national champion, Kansas, is almost completely revamped this year and was seeded third in the Midwest with an opening game against North Dakota State.

Arizona extended its string of tournament appearances to a quarter century, and the 25th bid will be among the most debated. The Wildcats were thought by many to be off the bubble after an early loss to Arizona State in the Pac-10 tournament, but made it as 12th seed in the Midwest.

Conference tournament wins by Southern California in the Pac-10 and Mississippi State in the Southeastern Conference cost a couple of bubble teams spots among in the 65. Among the last teams to make it were: Wisconsin, a 12th seed in the East; Maryland, a surprisingly high 10th seed in the Midwest; and Dayton, one of only four teams from small conferences to earn an at-large bid.

The so-called mid-major conferences have gone from nine at-large bids in 2005 to less than half that this year. The most notable mid-major to get snubbed was St. Mary's, which won 26 games but lost by 25 to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference final, with star guard Patty Mills just rounding back into shape after missing 10 games with an injury.

"We look at teams, we don't use a label," said Mike Slive, chairman of the selection committee. "It's not about mid-major teams and major teams. It's about teams. In the final analysis, it's about who you play, where you play and how you do. It's about teams, not about conferences."

Other teams that were left out included San Diego State, Creighton and Penn State. The Nittany Lions had the 311th-ranked non-conference strength of schedule – certainly not a help in the selection group's meeting room.

"We tried to deliver a message that it's the entire body of work," Slive said. "It starts in November and December and goes through the conference tournament."

The ACC, Big East and Big Ten all placed seven teams in the tournament, the Big 12 and Pac-10 six each, while the A-10 and SEC had three. Florida missed for the second straight year after winning two consecutive titles, and Auburn also was left out after a strong finish.

Also absent will be Indiana and Kentucky – the first time both traditional powerhouses have been missing in the tournament since 1979.